I have a gourmet system grate on one of my kettles with the CI sear grate in the center. It is my dedicated searing kettle. I put the baskets together beneath the CI grate for cooking steaks. For pork chops and fish, I move the baskets apart with about a 6" to 7" gap between them. This still heats the CI grate for cooking and produces nice sear marks but does not overcook the pork and fish. Keep in mind you can achieve the same thing by buying a standard grate and throwing the sear grate on top of it. The removable center is probably best for use with a Vortex. I do not have one so I will defer to input by someone that does.